That's it. Fire Tapscott

by sierradave on Dec 17, 2008 10:36 PM EST Comment 20 comments

Because this is just ridiculous...

Antawn Jamison sprained his thumb tonight. He nonetheless played 41 minutes.

Javale McGee played 2:30. Now on the one hand, we had Blatche in there and playing well for most of the game. But, see above, we should have moved Blatche to the four for awhile and let him play alongside Javale. 2:30? On a team that is 4-17? That's not a ride-your-vets-and-eke-into-the-playoffs record. That's a give-the-young-guys-a-chance record.

Mike James not only started, but played 30+ minutes. Meanwhile Javaris got a DNP (was he maybe injured and I didn't hear about it or something?). James had a decent shooting night, but only had two assists and spent an ungodly amount of time dribbling the ball on his own.

Deshawn continued to be the physical embodiment of teh suck.

I'm not arguing for tanking here, mind you. But this team isn't going to go anywhere without a healthy big three and some confident young fellas coming off the bench. Why in f*%k's sake are we riding our two all-stars into the ground night after night, denying our young guys PT along the way? That doesn't make sense in the short term OR the long term. It's the sign of a coach who's lost, panicked, and over his head.

As much as many of us didn't love Eddie Jordan's substitution patterns, there isn't anything in Tapscott's patterns to even like a little. It's inexcusable that he isn't giving the young guys a chance to prove themselves, meanwhile wearing out our talented players in godawful losing efforts. Sit Mike James, play Crittendon, give AJ more time to rest, sliding Blatche to the four, and stop treating Songalia like your backup center. If you can't pull that off AND you can't win, get the hell off of the team's bench.

This represents the view of the user who wrote the FanPost, and not the entire Bullets Forever community. We're a place of many opinions, not just one.

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.....as Prada notices an ESPN halftime studio sans Avery Johnson.

But seriously? I can’t seriously call for the firing of another coach.

Sorry guys, I’ll say it time and time again….it’s the PLAYERS. They’ve lost themselves, and haven’t been lost by a coach.

Sure, coaching probably has something to do with these times of despair, but I truly believe that it’s much more on these professional NBA players than anyone is giving credit for.

Representing DC with Wizards & Stuff - Truth About It Dot Net

by Truth About It on Dec 17, 2008 11:06 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

He's not complaining about the losses

he’s complaining about the playing time. We already had this discussion pretty much in the game thread but I agree with you on all points.

by hibachi on Dec 17, 2008 11:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I understand that...

but it goes to my point that playing time should not matter if the veterans, whomever, were playing like they are supposed to be playing…..

Representing DC with Wizards & Stuff - Truth About It Dot Net

by Truth About It on Dec 17, 2008 11:15 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree with you 80%

The team isn’t going to win unless players step up and start winning. That isn’t on the coach.

I’ve taken it as a given, though, that we ain’t winning this season. And so far, Tap seems to just not like our young players. I can’t imagine a single strategy – long-term or short-term, that this fits into.

Even if we consider the coach to just be a babysitter who doles out minutes, to be well-used or not, the dude has FAIL written all over him.

by sierradave on Dec 17, 2008 11:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

you mean

our players shouldnt be like marbury and add 2 or 3 years to their career by taking the season off? ;)

by hibachi on Dec 17, 2008 11:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

lol

Marbury is going to add 20 or 30 years to his career, because he’s going to take a lot more seasons off…

by sierradave on Dec 18, 2008 12:26 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It's a two-step process.

Sure, the veterans should play better. I don’t think anyone’s arguing that. But in the absence of Palace of Good Play residency, Tapscott is still playing guys Stevenson 35-40 minutes a night and Mike James 25-35 minutes instead of letting Nick Young develop on the court or seeing what Jarvaris Crittenton can do.

There’s that saying about insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

by Jon L on Dec 18, 2008 3:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I would assume Ernie wants the young players to play

And I thought that was the message he was sending by installing Tapscott. I don’t understand this unwillingness to play the young kids.

"Would you like to shoot me now or wait till you get home." --- Daffy Duck

by George Templeton on Dec 18, 2008 1:50 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

no one does...

Getting buckets since 2003.

by Icantfeelmyface on Dec 18, 2008 3:43 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Don't Worry, Ernie Will

Tapscott is an interim head coach. This means that he actually is just a “babysitter who doles out minutes”. The only way he was going to hold onto this job was if the Wizards made a big push and crept into the playoffs. We all know now that isn’t going to happen. So Ernie will “fire” Tapscott, which is to say that he won’t renew his services and will instead go with someone else after the season.

Personally, I wish Ernie hired a proven coach this season, so that that coach could install his system and get the players used to it a little earlier. But I suppose that isn’t how it is done in the NBA.

For the record, I too am disappointed with ET’s unwillingness to play the young guys more. Maybe he feels it is to their benefit to make them “earn” playing time by playing well, and simply playing better than the sucky veterans isn’t good enough. I know, I know, it sounds really stupid, but what else could it be?

"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier

by cuppettcj on Dec 18, 2008 8:03 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Don't Worry, Ernie Will

"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier

by cuppettcj on Dec 18, 2008 8:03 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Whoa, That Was Weird

Network issues, obviously…

"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier

by cuppettcj on Dec 18, 2008 8:03 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

twitchy mouse finger

Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......

by Rook6980 on Dec 18, 2008 10:05 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Tapscott

When we first put him in as head coach, he was the “Head of Player Development.” So my thought was, “Hell yeah, now we are going to develop the players!” So naive.

I sort of agree with Truth here – losing always goes to the players. Its not the coaches out there bricking jumpshots and playing matador defense, its the guys on the floor.

However, the only real way to get better is to play – and not just at practice. With a 4-17 record, we need to realize that the WHOLE SEASON now becomes one big practice for next season. And the people who need the time and the work are NOT getting it.

What’s bothering me is that Ernie Grunfeld hasn’t bitch slapped ET into playing the kids.

The Washington Wizards: providing career scoring nights for unknown opposing bench players since 2004.

by mamemimo on Dec 18, 2008 10:20 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Maybe Ernie is Telling ET What to Do

ET is Ernie’s right-hand man, after all. Maybe the goal isn’t to develop the youth, but keep them on the bench so that other teams judge them based on potential and not actual performance. The veterans, on the other hand, are already perceived to be sucky, so there is really nothing to lose in showcasing them. By the trade deadline, half this team, including several of our young players, may be out the door in a blockbuster trade that nets us something big. One can only hope.

"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier

by cuppettcj on Dec 18, 2008 10:31 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The problem with that logic

If Ernie were telling Tap not to play the youngsters, he’s really degrading their value; or maybe hiding them

Hear me out.

Nick Young (with the exception of last night), has been a better player this year than last year…. (see Prada’s post about it here. He’s infinitely better, right now, than Stevenson, James or Dixon; all of whom seem to be ahead of Nick on the depth chart. Yet, Nick is only averaging 14 mpg in the last 6 games… He’s playing less than last year !?!?!!!

McGee has been a real find… The kid does something every night that wows fans, the media, players on other teams, and other Coaches. So he plays an average of 10 mpg for the last 6 games. !?!??! . . . . . . . OK, so perhaps you want to hide him by sitting him on the bench – That way, when you’re in negotiations with another team, they won’t know how good he is.

Andray Blatche has shown that with consistent playing time (25-30 minutes per night), he can produce. In games where Andray has played more than 20 minutes, he’s averaged 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists per game. Not GREAT numbers….. not All-Star numbers….. but not bad for the first big coming off the bench….. Because, let’s face it, if Haywood were healthy, Blatche would be coming off the bench to spell Brendan and Antawn. Blatche is averaging almost 26 mpg over the last 6 games.

Even Dominic McGuire has shown real improvement over last year. He’s shooting 40% from the field (hey don’t laugh, our starting guards, Stevenson and James are shooting 32% and 33% respectively – so 40% sounds pretty good…). He’s always shown that he can rebound and play steady, and sometimes spectacular, Defense. DMac is averaging 14 mpg over the last 6 games. (after averaging only 9 mpg for the first 14 games of the season)…

Perhaps you are right cuppettcj – perhaps there will be a trade this year – but if so, why hide the young talent unless you want to keep them…. and why showcase the veterans ??? (Stevenson 29.8 minutes per game ; Songaila almost 20 mpg in December ; Jamison 38 mpg ; James, buried on the bench in NO, but playing over 20 mpg in Washington) ; Juan Dixon averaging almost 25 mpg in December.)

It appears to me that Blatche, Songaila, Dixon, Stevenson, and James are all getting more minutes ; or, in the case of Stevenson and James, more minutes than they deserve.

So, what happened 6 games ago that could have radically altered the playing time of so many players?

Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......

by Rook6980 on Dec 18, 2008 11:42 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Right

I’ve gotta call “Occam’s Razor” on this whole thing.

It’s possible that minutes are being doled out as part of some grand restructuring scheme being handed down by Grunfeld himself. Hide the young guys, because, um, highlight-reel dunks (JM), explosive scoring ability(NY), and increasing defensive intensity (Taser) are a bad thing (Let’s call this the “these are not the droids you’re looking for” strategy).

It’s also possible that Tapscott is so far out of his element on the bench that he’s relying on rusty veterans because they’re less likely to make obvious mistakes. He’s hiding the young guys not because of grand strategy, but because he’s panicking and doesn’t know what to do.

is a much simpler explanation that also seems a hell of a lot more accurate.

And just to reemphasize, firing Tapscott isn’t going to make this team win, any more than firing the babysitter is going to make your kids behave. But if the babysitter is bad at babysitting , or in this case, if the dude can’t even dole out the minutes to help our young guys can grow and build the team for the future, you fire ‘em and bring in someone who can do that very basic task better. I’m not saying we hire Avery Johnson here, I’m saying we hire someone who isn’t going to yank JaVale after 2.5 minutes. Cuz you know what, there’s no WAY that’s good for the kid’s development (see Haywood, Brendan).

by sierradave on Dec 18, 2008 1:04 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Tapscott

I especially liked the game where JaVale blocked 4 shots in the first 2 minutes – and was benched.

Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......

by Rook6980 on Dec 18, 2008 4:45 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I think a lot of the calls to fire Tapscott are somewhat pointless

He’s an interim coach. There’s almost no way he sticks around after the season. Unless Ernie is remarkably dumb or we somehow turn things around, Tap’s going to get fired anyway.

I’ll agree that he seems in way over his head, but he’s been given a tough situation. As I’ve posted before, switching to an interim coach rarely does anything tangible. Usually, it’s an admission that you’ve given up on the season.

That said, he does have to do a better job with getting more out of JaVale and Nick. He’s done good things for Dray and even Taser, but 2 for 6 isn’t a good success rate.

You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Mike Prada on Dec 18, 2008 2:18 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

If

He can start getting something out of JaVale and Nick (and by “getting something,” I mean “step 1: let them break a sweat, step 2: something else,” then I’ll be fine with this arrangement for the season. If he can’t, we should find someone who can. That isn’t asking for all that much.

And let’s keep in mind, we’re ALREADY the laughing stock/biggest disappointment of the league. It’s not like we’re going to lose any face or get any worse by making another switch so soon.

I’ll stop fuming about this when he starts getting the most basic things right. Like, for instance, if we pull a three-team trade just to see if Javaris Crittenton is something special, maybe (I dunno) let him take his sweats off.

by sierradave on Dec 18, 2008 3:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs